Warming and sterilizing apparatus



Sept. 10, 1940. c. J. MCNAMARA 2,214,425

WARMING AND STERILIZING APPARATUS Filed Feb. 6, 1959 2 Sheets-Sheet l 0O O 0 O O O 0 INVENTOR.

BY @Jfmw Ml M ATTORNEY.

v Sept. 10, 1940. C, MCNAMARA 2,214,425'

WARNING AND STERILIZING APPARATUS Filed Feb. 6, 1939 2 sheets-sheet 2 ialVENTOR.

ATTORNEY` Patented Sept. 10, 1940 UNITED STATES anni rA'r'r WARMING ANDSTERILIZING APPARATUS Application February 6, 1939, Serial No. 254,925

3 Claims.

This invention appertains to the art of steam cooking or Warmingequipment and particularly involves a special construction of warming,cooking, or sterilizing cabinet having novel features in relation to themode of assembling of sections thereof whereby different assemblies ofsuch sections may be made in order to supply a user with different typesof constructions of said sections.

The apparatus of the invention is designed for Warming food, forsterilizing dishes, or the like,

and for such general purposes as warming or cooking equipment of thistype is generally used.

The invention further involves special means in relation to asterilizing unit enabling the said unit' to be opened for access to thecontents thereof, such as dishes, etc., and when so opened, forprovidingl an auxiliary closure for the compartment of said unit toprevent the passing off of the steam or heating medium when the unit isentirely open, as well as when it is closed.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a special form ofhinged door for one of the sliding shelf or drawer units of the cabinet,

, which door may constitute a supporting mem- 25 ber for articles offood or the like, as an extension of the drawer or shelf member, whenthe latter is in open position.

A further object of the invention is to provide novel valve means forsteam supply openings for the various compartments of thecabinet orcasing, in which the movable or slidable drawer or shelf members aremounted, whereby as the latter are moved to open position said supplyopenings will be closed and entry of steam cut olf so as to preventwastage of said heating medium.

The invention involves other detail features of construction the natureof which will appear hereinafter upon reference to `accompanyingdrawings, in which n Figure l is a front elevation of a heating cabinetor apparatus involving the invention.

Figure 2 is a side elevation showing the sterilizing drawer or shelf inopen position.

Figure 3 is a horizontal sectional view on the line 3-3 of Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a reduced size fragmentary view showing the sterilizingdrawer or shelf in a position reverse to that shown in Figure 2.

Figure 5 is a fragmentary detail view showing the hinge type drawer ofone of the warming compartments adjusted so as to form `an extensionyshelf member.

Figure 6 is a detail view of one of the steam valves and the means on adrawer for engaging *the Valve to open it.

Describing the invention specically, it is noted that the cabinet orapparatus thereof is made up of a top section I, intermediate sections 2and 3, and a bottom section li. These sections, generally speaking, arehollow double-walled structures, double-walled in relation to; the back,top, and side formation. Each lower section is formed with an upper angeadapted to t or nest Within the lower end of each upper section, orunit. This permits of an assembly of the sections or units of differenttypes at the factory according to the requirements of an order from theuser. The variation in the types of units are usually incident to theprovision of those units between the top section i and the bottomsection 4, since ordinarily the said top section l and bottom section 4will be standard and always provided. The bottom section lihas a burner5 therein adapted to be connected with a source of heat, vlike gas, andis also provided with a waterchamber or container E, the bottom of whichwill be heated by the ame of said heater for the generation of lowpressure steam. Water may be supplied to the water container t from awater pipe l.

The top section l of the apparatus preferably comprises a compartment v8for larger articles and `a small compartment 9 for smaller articles, thecompartment il being usually employed as a warming oven for buns,rolls,or the like. The compartment 9 contains the sliding drawer or shelf I,having the door i i at the front thereof and the handle I2 on said door.The compartment 8 contains a slidingdrawer or shelf i3 of a constructionsimilar to the parts lilr and Il and l2, lbut simply larger to provide agreater area for cooking or heating. Below the compartment or unit I isasimilar unij'l designed particularly for sterilizing purposes andpreviously designated 2. This unit comprises the enclosing section 2previously mentioned, and the sliding drawer or shelf h3, upon whichdishes, or the like, to be sterilized, may be placed. The drawer orshelf M is of a length about twice the depth of the cabinet, so that itmay slide outwardly from the cabinet both at the rear and` at the front.Figure 2 illustrates the said drawer adjusted as when slid to itsextreme movement rearwardly, and Figure 4 as when the said drawer isslid to the extreme movement forwardly.

The drawer it is provided with a door member lintermediate its endsadaptedto engage the back portion of the section or unit 2 when the saiddrawer lll is slid rearwardly, to close the opening provided at saidrear of the cabinet, which opening is adapted to be closed by the reardoor I6 at the outer end of the shelf or drawer I4. The saidintermediate or auxiliary door I5 is movable to the front of the cabinetlikewise to close the front opening for the section 2 of the cabinetwhen the drawer or shelf I4 is pulled outwardly and forwardly from thecabinet, at which time the front door I1 will be adjusted to theposition shown in Figure 4.

The section 3 of the cabinet provides a suitable warming compartment andis much the same in construction as the section I except that the doorI8 is of the type shown in Figures 2 and 5, namely, pivoted at I9nearits lower end t'o the outer end of the shelf or drawer member 20 sothat the door I8 may fold downwardly to the horizontal position ofFigure 5 after the part 20 is pulled partly toward open position.

In respect to t'he movable shelf or drawer members I0, I3, I4, and 20,all of these are preferably supported for sliding horizontal movement byrollers 2| which operate in channel members 22 attached to theunder-side of each of said members Ill, I3, I4, and 2D. The rollers 2Iare journaled on the sides of the sections of which said drawer or shelfmembers are parts. Handles I2 may be provided for the doors of all shelfor drawer members mentioned, there being two of such handles for theshelf I4 of the unit 2.

Any suitable type of locking members 23, similar to those used onrefrigerator doors Amay be employed for holding the drawer or shelfmembers closed against accidental displacement.

Each heating compartment of the cabinet may have an automatic air orvent valve 24.

The steam is supplied to the various warming or sterilizing or cookingcompartments described by a steam pipe 25 which leads from the steamchamber above the water in the compartment 4, steam entering said pipefrom a small lateral extension 26. In order to admit steam to each ofsaid sections or units of the cabinet, curved branch pipes 21 lead fromthe steam pipe 25, with the single exception that the upper end of thesteam pipe 25 connects with a coil 28 beneath the warming compartment 9.Under `these conditions the compartment 9 is always kept warm during useof the apparatus.

In respect to the branch pipes 21, it is noted that small valves 29 areadapted to close the openings of said pipes that enter the compartmentsof the several sections I, 2, and 3. These valves are engaged by aprojection 30 on each of the shelf or drawer members of each compartmentor section so that when said shelf or drawer member is closed the valvewill remain open by contact of the projection 30 with another projection3| carried by -the valve.

The valve means just described, including the valve 29, may be omittedin reference to the section or unit 2 of the cabinet.

With the foregoing description in mind, the length of the steam pipe 25will be determined at the factory when the number of the sections orunits of the cabinet required by the prospective user or purchaser isindicated.

It will be understood that the door members for each shelf or drawer ofmy cabinet will overlap the front portions of the cabinet sections, andin respect -to the section 2 the door members I6 and I'I will overlapthe surrounding portions of the section at the edges thereof. Gaskets orsuitable packing means for making a steam or air tight connectionbetween the doors and the cabinet parts adjacent thereto will beprovided as well known in this art.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent of the United States, is:

1. A heating cabinet or apparatus of the class described, comprising, incombination, a series of superposed sections or units, said sections orunits adapted to be assembled together in interlocking arrangement onewith the other, the bottom section or unit comprising a steam generatingchamber, shelf or drawer members mounted to slide to open and closedpositions in the respective sections, doors carried by said slide ordrawer members for closing the several units at the front ends thereof,a steam pipe for steam or other heating medium leading from the steamchamber of the bottom section and having communication with thesuperposed sections in relation to the heating chambers of the latter,which contain the drawer or shelf members, and heating means in thelower or bottom section of the cabinet, and branch steam pipes leadingfrom said steam pipe into each of said sections or units, valve mea-nsclosing at least one of said branch steam pipes when the shelf or drawermember of its said section is in open position, and means on the shelfor drawer member to move said valve means to an open position when theshelf or drawer member is closed.

2. A heating cabinet or apparatus of the class described, comprising, incombination, a series of superposed sections or units, the bottomsection or unit comprising a steam generating chamber, shelf or drawermembers mounted to slide to open and closed positions in the respectivesections, doors carried by said slide or drawer members for closing theseveral units at the front ends thereof, a steam pipe for steam or otherheating medium leading from the steam chamber of the bottom section andhaving communication with the superposed sections in relation to theheating chambers of the latter, which contain the drawer or shelfmembers, and heating means in the lower or bottom section of thecabinet, and branch steam pipes leading from said steam pipe into eachof said sections or units, valve means closing at least one of saidbranch steam pipes when the shelf or drawer member of its said sectionis in open position, and means on the shelf or drawer member to movesaid valve means to an open position when the shelf or drawer member isclosed.

3. A heating unit for apparatus of the class described, comprising incombination, a casing providing a warming chamber having an opening atopposite sides thereof, a shelf or drawer of approximately twice thedepth of said casing and mounted for movement therein, said shelf havingan auxiliary door intermediate its ends cooperable'with said casinginteriorly thereof to close either of said openings dependent upon thedirection in which said shelf is pulled from said cabinet, and a pair ofdoors connected with said shelf, oneat either of said shelf, to closefrom the outside the opposite opening of said casing to that closed bythe said auxiliary door when the shelf is at the limit of its movementin either direction.

CHARLES J. MCNAMARA.

